Guardian Angel I
by Jensea
Summary: Kaiba Seto's journey through Duelist Kingdom was one he would surely want to forget, ne? But, what if fate had sent him a Guardian Angel?
1. Prologue

Guardian Angel

By: Jenna

Disclaimer: Standards apply. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything related to the show. I only own Angelique and this fanfic. Nothing more.

Author's note: I'd like to thank my beloved Kris for all of his help and inspiration for this story! If it weren't for you, love, I am sure I would have never placed this story down into words!

All of the little 's throughout the chapters indicate a small author's note at the end of the chapter it is in.

Prologue

She knew from the moment that she had laid eyes on him that morning something was wrong. True, there was nothing out of the ordinary with his attitude. He ignored her slightly above silent hello as always when he took his seat beside her. But, just the look on his face told her that something was utterly wrong. Had he really lost to Yuugi? Were the rumors that Kaiba Seto, one of the world's most renowned duelists, been beaten by an unknown?

"Karenza-san! Onegai, focus your attention on the lesson!" The teacher called, snapping the girl from her thoughts. Her indigo eyes darted towards where the man stood, hands on his hips.

"Gomen nasi, sensei…" She bowed her head a moment, her long periwinkle curls hiding her red tinged face. The moment the teacher turned his head, though, her thoughts went right back to him. She had known Kaiba Seto for quite a few years now. Ever since her adoptive parents moved to Domino during her junior high years, she had attended the same school as he did. It's not that they were close friends, she was merely a school acquaintance to him. But, nonetheless, she worried about him.

'What kind of duel could leave a person like Kaiba-san in such a state?' She thought, leaning her chin down in her hand as she gazed at the board and then down at her notes. Sighing, she jotted down little of the teacher's words, pretending that she was listening. Why pay attention to a lecture that she had read up on the night before in their textbook?

She glanced at him once more as the teacher moved onto another subject, not hearing him ask her a question. "Karenza-san? Karenza-san!" She jumped at his out burst, sinking back into her seat a little as the entire class stared at her, including Kaiba. "Stop daydreaming. If all you're going to do is waste oxygen by sitting there, then leave for the day."

She bit her lip. "Gomen nasai…" She repeated, listening as the teacher repeated the question. Sighing inwardly, she gave the answer he sought.

"Correct. Next time don't make me have to raise my voice…" He stated, a little disappointed in her. She was one of the brighter students that attended the school and as such, much was expected of her. True, she wasn't one of the top five, but teachers still thought highly of her.

"Alright, class… I think it is as good of a time as any to announce now that exams will begin soon…" The class groaned, several of them beginning to complain. The teacher raised his hand, silencing them all. "But, being that I know many of you need the extra help… Everyone will be assigned a study buddy. And to make sure that you do study, I will be assigning you review assignments to do together."

The majority of the class perked up a little, but she only sunk back into her seat more. She hated tests. She didn't have the nerves for them. Every major test she took, she failed. No matter how hard or whom she studied with, she always failed them. She listened vaguely as the teacher called out study partners, idly listening for whom she would be with.

"And, lastly, Kaiba Seto and Karenza Angelique…" Her head shot up, looking at the teacher and then to Kaiba. She moved to protest, but the lunch bell caught her before she had the chance. "I will give your assignments after lunch!"

Angelique sighed, rubbing her face a little as she rested her head down on her arms. Why is it that fate chose to nip her in the rear like this? Shaking her head, she waited for the lunch hour to end, flipping through one of the textbooks idly.

Kaiba sighed, Angelique wasn't necessarily a bad study partner, he had just hoped he could get out of this. He'd had a bad feeling lately that something was wrong; he also wanted to check his simulator. He sighed again, he would simply wait until he was done and get to work. Maybe he could get Mokuba to occupy her.

He turned to her, "We can study at my home, it should be far quieter there, as well as much easier to review all of the information."

She jumped a little, her mind being pulled from other thoughts. She gave him a small smile along with a nod. "Wha... What time should I come by? I know you have better things to do..." She stated, gratefulness hinting in her quivering voice.

He shrugged, "Just come with me after class. My chauffeur will be here and it will be simpler since then you won't have to worry about being slowed by my security staff."

She nodded. "Arigato, Kaiba-kun." She turned back to her textbook, sighing inwardly. 'Maybe I can find out what's wrong with him this way... Knowing sensei, we'll be doing this for the next few weeks...' She thought to herself, nibbling on the inside of her lip.


	2. Chapter 1

Guardian Angel

By: Jenna

Disclaimer: Standards apply. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything related to the show. I only own Angelique and this fanfic. Nothing more.

Author's note: I'd like to thank my beloved Kris for all of his help and inspiration for this story! If it weren't for you, love, I am sure I would have never placed this story down into words!

All of the little 's throughout the chapters indicate a small author's note at the end of the chapter it is in.

Chapter 1

At long last the bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Kaiba waited for her, he walked quickly, but made sure to stay near her, not wanting her to lose him in the crush of people to get out. They headed for the limo; the driver gave a questioning look towards Angelique. Kaiba nodded curtly and the driver opened the door, letting them in, then getting in himself and driving.

Angelique held her book bag on her lap, smiling softly as she played with the buttons on her school jacket's sleeve. "This sure beats the bus..." She murmured, biting her lip at her lame attempt to make small talk with him.

Kaiba remained quiet, still looking ahead. He was oblivious to everything, again thinking back on his duel with Yuugi. There had to be some way...he knew that Yuugi hadn't cheated, knew that he had gotten it legally, but how. There was no logical way that it could have happened, no logical way.

She bit her lip still, glancing up at him. She caught the look on his face, studying him a moment. She could tell his thoughts were elsewhere, smiling at the sight. Looking away, she jumped at the feel of the limo stopping and turning off, the sounds of young children filling her ears. She looked at the door as it opened, the chauffeur greeting a small black haired child.

"Hey, Nii-chan!" He stopped short, blinking at the girl. He cocked his head to the side, looking at her. "Big brother? What's going on? Who's this?"

Kaiba looked down, "She's my assigned study partner Mokuba. She'll be here for a few hours to review for the exams. Beyond that, I want you to prep the computer upstairs to run the program again." He explained along the way, Mokuba nodding in understanding.

Moments later, they pulled up to the Kaiba home. They headed inside, the house was large, also very well furnished. On a small table was a platter of food, apparently placed there recently. Kaiba turned, "I had asked for this in case you became hungry while we studied. I'll be with you in a few moments, if you wouldn't mind waiting here. Mokuba could keep you company until I get back."

Angelique nodded. "Arigato." She bowed gently, smiling at him.

Kaiba returned the bow then headed upstairs, immediately changing his clothes and then stowing his books away. Mokuba could keep her occupied for a small period of time, he just wanted to check a few simulations, see if maybe he had been wrong...

Mokuba stayed with Angelique, as asked. But, she noticed a slightly angered look on his face. It seemed... Misdirected… As though he was angry with someone, but the person wasn't anywhere nearby.

"Kaiba-san?" Angelique knelt down to his level. "Is something the matter? You look as if you have something on your mind..."

Mokuba turned somewhat angrily, "I don't want to talk about it and it's none of your business whatsoever!" He angrily snapped, then a few moments later he looked embarrassed. "Gomen nasai, I didn't mean to yell at you like that, it wasn't your fault."

She smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, Kaiba-san. I'm quite used to it, actually..." She ruffled his hair. "But, those aren't you're worries..." She placed her book bag on the floor beside her. "If you do want to talk, even though I am sure it isn't none of my mind, I would be pleased to listen."

Mokuba sighed; it wasn't like most of the others hadn't heard. "You remember that duel people were talking about? The one where my big brother was beaten? It was that punk kid Motou Yuugi! The two of them were dueling and he had Yuugi on the run. Nii-chan had three Blue Eyes White Dragons on the field. Then, Yuugi pulls Exodia on the last turn. Winning the game. He didn't win because he was skilled, or anything like that, it was LUCK! And now, everyone is fawning over him! I heard that he even got invited to Pegasus's elite tournament. It isn't fair at all! Nii-chan works like a madman to be the greatest, he traveled the world and traded and bought all of the greatest cards. He built a deck that simply can't be beaten. Then Yuugi comes..." Mokuba growled angrily again, "And he doesn't even win, just lucks out! All of a sudden, people are acting like he's some genius player!" He scowled angrily again.

Angelique bit her lip. She had thought maybe that the rumors at school where true, but she was never really one to believe such things. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she gave him a small smile.

"I'm sorry, Kaiba-san..." She whispered, understanding the boy's anger. "Life is cruel like that... The person that should get all of the rewards for their work ends out being trampled to the bottom by someone with better dice rolls..." She knew her words helped little, but she felt she needed to say something to help soothe the boy's anger.

Mokuba sighed, "That's the problem though. Nii-chan is so mad about this… He won't give up until he figures out how it happened. Yuugi's deck is above the forty-card limit… But, then again, so is Nii-chan's. My brother watched every other match Yuugi played. There's just no way he should have gotten Exodia out like that. Nii-chan got so mad he even refused to enter Pegasus' tournament after he found out they admitted Yuugi. I think he's doing it as a form of protest to say that only talented players, not lucky ones, should be allowed in. Otherwise what's to stop dogs like Jounouchi-san or his friend, Honda-san from entering into Duelist Kingdom?"

Angelique couldn't help but giggle at the thought of those two. "I will say one thing about them, they are a pair of cards... But, their intentions are true at times... But, Kaiba-san... No willing, hard working duelist should be denied the right of challenge. Even the lucky ones... It's how the lucky ones become skilled players."

Mokuba shook his head, "Nii-chan had to win hundreds of tournaments to get where he is, to gain his title. Dinosaur Ryuzaki, Bandit Keith Howard, Inspector Haga… Each one of them had to battle duelists from around the world in massive tournaments. Now, Yuugi gets in on one fluke, just one game. THAT is why Nii-chan won't play. And why I think he plans on having some words with Pegasus soon."

Kaiba growled at the sounds of their conversation and came down the stairs, looking angered at Mokuba, "Mokuba, what we're doing is none of anyone else's business. Besides that, Karenza-san came here to study, not to hear about the idiocies of Pegasus or of the setbacks I have faced." When his little brother moved to protest, he placed several textbooks on the table, ending the conversation. "Now we had best begin." He sat down, taking a piece of sushi and eating it, then cracking open a book on ecosystem biology.

Angelique bit her lip, standing from where she knelt beside Mokuba. "Kaiba-kun… Don't yell at him… Onegai?" She took her seat beside him, removing the same text from her bag. "I asked the boy... He only did the respectable thing and answered... Gomen nasi..."

Kaiba sighed, "I'm not angry with you or with him. I simply don't think that it's appropriate for him to tell everyone everything. I have no problem with you, and I'm glad that you've calmed Mokuba down." She saw a trace of... Was that gratefulness on Kaiba's face? Well, at least he seemed friendlier.

Mentally, however, he was still frustrated, and angry with himself for yelling at Mokuba. The boy was just repeating what most people knew, and opinions sensible people had. He sighed. A thousand times, and each time his research showed he should have won, each time Yuugi had only four pieces, the odds were astronomical that he would have drawn the final piece, especially given constant reshufflings, so it wasn't even possible that the deck was stacked...

Angelique slowly moved her pen over the papers in front of her, wishing she had kept her mouth shut. It served to cause trouble elsewhere just as it did at home. She attempted to read a section of the text, but her mind wondered, her eyes staring blankly at the pages. Sighing, she read the first question on the page aloud, more to herself than anyone else, trying to focus.

Kaiba nodded, "Right, each creature is technically interdependent in an ecosystem. The eagle and ant need each other because each thing that gets damaged causes repercussions throughout the entire ecosystem, theoretically leading to a collapse or necessitate the formation of a subspecies."

Angelique looked at him a moment before giggling. "So you are a walking textbook." She blushed, bowing her head in apology. "Gomen... I couldn't help myself..."

Mokuba grinned innocently, lifting his face from his own homework as he butted in, "Nah, it's ok, he likes showing that off anyway. You're just the first girl that liked it that much, though." Mokuba then took the few moments of stunned silence and seeing his brother looking angry chose to take off up the stairs.

This only served to make her giggle once more. "He's so adorable... So full of life and very intelligent for his age..." She looked back down at her papers, writing on them a moment. "... He admires you very much..."

Kaiba nodded absently, "Yes, I suppose that he does… No matter how frustrating he can be at times." He continued, suddenly pausing for a moment. "Something I've wondered… I've seen you in the labs before, doing work with programming and the like..."

Angelique nodded. "I've been helping Kinami-sensei with a few of the projects for the school... It's helping me to get some extra money right now..."

Kaiba actually pondered for a few moments, "I'll make you a deal. If you help me with something I need to program, you can stay later. I'll have my driver take you home if you wish. I need some assistance in this and you seem competent in what I need."

Smiling, she nodded. "I'd love to help anywhere I can." She stated.

Suddenly, a thought struck her; one that should have struck her sooner. She bit her lip then, her eyes down casting. "Is it alright if I call home a moment, though?" She asked rather briskly. "There's something... I need to check up on..."

He nodded, "Most certainly. You can use the phone in the office, we'll be working there anyway." Leading her upstairs to his office, she saw images of the Blue Eyes White Dragon all around her, as well as piles of documents. Kaiba pulled a chair over by the main computer.

"We can both work here." He handed her the nearby phone, "I'll be outside the room. Once you're done, tell me and we can begin work."

She bowed her head in thanks before dialing, waiting a moment as it rang. She winced at gruff, half drunk voice on the other end. "Don't yell... It's me..." She sighed as the voice uttered endless curses at her. His voice rose constantly, forcing her to pull the phone from her ear. She argued with him a moment, her voice trying to stay calm. "I left you a message..."

The voice cut her off. She held the phone away from her ear once again as he screamed, "You better be home before I get back tonight, or else."

She groaned, hanging up the phone, rubbing her face. 'Why do I even bother...' She thought.

Kaiba heard the scream on the other side of the door. His eyes hardened. He didn't take kindly to people like that, no matter who they were, he didn't take kindly to it. He would find out more later on, then he would decide what he would do about it.

Angelique took a few breaths, collecting herself, acting as if nothing had happened when she called to Kaiba, letting him know she was done. She could only hope that he hadn't heard. Pulling her school jacket off, she tossed it over the back of her chair, glancing over her arms to make sure all bruises were covered.

Kaiba opened the door slowly. He sat down with her and explained the nature of the program. "It's basically an attempt to compress the hologaphics codes for the duel stations into something much easier to store and process, however I want the detail to be of similar or greater quality."

She looked the system over a moment. Moving her fingers over a few keys, she easily found the statistic and layout charts. "Hmmm..." She looked down at her fingers thoughtfully a moment. She turned her eyes to the screen again, looking at the encoding. "Well, have you tried simplifying the system's coding? You know, using loop holes to cross similar information?"

He nodded, "That isn't the problem. The problem is that no matter what the data either won't fit into storage space, or it simply can't be read. I've tried everything that I can think of, but I'm not a programmer."

Angelique smiled. "Hmm... Well, first off, we need to figure out what the compressed database can and cannot read... That will make things a little easier..." She leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs at the knee and her arms over her chest. "From there, it might be a little of guess and check, though..."

He paused, "The problem is that if I compress the data into certain file types then I need to have readers, the thing is that I basically need it to be much smaller, if I add the readers then it makes the Unit too large and bulky, but without the readers it won't work..."

She nodded. "I see..." She thought a long moment, glancing back up at the screen in front of her. Typing a moment, she looked through at the information on the duel stations. This was going to be harder than she thought...

This is just a little information on Angelique that I think I should warn you all of. This character is, in a way, an outlet to some of my problems in life. I'd much rather write out my frustration than take it out on a person. Please, bare with me on this…


	3. Chapter 2

Guardian Angel

By: Jenna

Disclaimer: Standards apply. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything related to the show. I only own Angelique and this fanfic. Nothing more.

Author's note: I'd like to thank my beloved Kris for all of his help and inspiration for this story! If it weren't for you, love, I am sure I would have never placed this story down into words!

All of the little 's throughout the chapters indicate a small author's note at the end of the chapter it is in.

Chapter 2

She sighed as she waited for him after school a week later. She felt a little odd waiting for him like this everyday. The stares of disgust she got from some of his teenie-bopper fans did make her feel rather uncomfortable…

"Ready?" He asked, joining her a moment later. She jumped a little, sighing in relief at the sight of the brown haired Kaiba.

She nodded a moment, walking instep with him towards the limo. It was then that she remembered the disc. Rummaging through her book bag a moment, she pulled it own. "Here…" She tossed him the case, which he caught skillfully between his fingers.

"What's this?" He asked, looking at the jeweled CD case in his hand, the burned CD inside flickering a rainbow of colors under the sun's afternoon light.

"I figured out the program for you…" She shrugged, climbing into the limo.

He raised a brow, following. "What do you mean?"

She grinned lightly. "Let's just say that I found the perfect reader and rewrote your encoding a little… You'd be able to compact it to something as small as a Frisbee."

Pulling his laptop from its bag, he booted it up, inserting the disc the moment that it was running. He studied the layout on the disc, nodding his head slowly. "Impressive… But, I'm not familiar with this reader…"

"You should be… You invented it. It's a more streamline version of the ones used on the duel stations." Angelique pointed out.

He blinked at her. "You took my information… And… reprogrammed it?" He snorted. "I don't know if I should be grateful or insulted…"

She glared at him lightly, but shook the comment off.

It was one of the things she had learned to do with Kaiba Seto over the last few days. "Well, there are still a great many bugs in the program… But, I am sure you can work them out…"

He shook his head, shutting down the laptop and placing it as well as the disc away merely moments before Mokuba joined them in the car.

"Nii-chan… I'm hungry…" Mokuba murmured, lifting his eyes from his math book. The small growling of his little stomach only served to prove his statement.

"Mokuba, you'll spoil your dinner…" Kaiba muttered, typing up some notes he had taken in class earlier that day.

"Demo…"

Angelique smiled, placing her pen down. "If your brother doesn't mind, Kaiba-san, I could make you something…"

"Honto ni?" Mokuba's violet eyes perked up, laughter in them. "Can she, Nii-chan? Onegai?"

"Just clean up your mess…" He waved the thought off as his younger brother lead the girl from the room. The moment that they were gone, he closed out of the notes and pulled up the information on the disc. This was something he wanted to look more into for himself…

Angelique smiled at the elaborate kitchen. "Sugoi ne…" She whispered, stepping further inside. True, the light reflecting off all the stainless steel about the room was blinding, but it was still magnificent.

"Seto-nii had a four star kitchen put in… But, he still prefers to order out…" Mokuba said more to himself than to anyone else. Hopping up onto one of the stools at the center island counter, he rested his head in his hands.

"Do you not have a cook?" Angelique asked, beginning to rummage through a few of the cabinets.

"He only fixes breakfast and caters Seto-nii's business parties…" The child stated, watching her intently. "Other times, he just works at his restaurant, Karasu, downtown…"

She looked at him surprise. "A four star chef works as a cook for your brother!"

Mokuba nodded. "It's like they say, money can get you everything…" She bit her lip, placing a few things down on the table, looking at the boy's quivering eyes.

'But it doesn't give you the happiness you want, does it?' She thought to herself, pulling a paring knife from the block, beginning to dice a tomato. Trying to change the subject, she asked, "So, Kaiba-san, are you into dueling?"

"Not nearly so as my brother… I'm more into video games, really…" He stated, watching her fast moving hands. He blinked as she tossed the tomatoes into a bowl, adding onions, fresh herbs, olive oil, and some cooking sake moments later. "What are you making, anyway?"

"It's something my mother taught me how to make before she took ill…" She stated, smiling at him as she mixed them a little before placing the mixture into a blender and flipping it on. "She called it Pasta la Mama…" Mokuba chuckled. "I never found out what it's really called…"

"What ever it is, that's starting to look good…" She laughed at him as he licked his lips.

"Want to stir the egg noodles for me, Kaiba-san?" Angelique handed him the spoon once he was standing on a small stepladder beside the stove. "Don't burn yourself…"

He smiled, promising not to as he stirred the noodles slowly, glancing at her beginning to fry some sort of meat beside him. "Nante?"

"Hamburger meat and chicken…" She stated, dicing the chicken as the beef began to fry, tossing the small pieces of white meat into a separate skillet.

"Wow… This is an elaborate dish…" He stated.

"I just hope your brother doesn't mind… I was going to just make some cookies… But, I figured that maybe you both could use a home cooked meal instead…" She stated, keeping an eye on the meat as she began the cookie dough.

"Cookies! What kind?" His eyes lit up.

She giggled once more. Oh, how she loved how carefree he could be. So sprite like… "Sugar cookies, my favorite."

"Honto ni? Those are Seto-nii's too!" He stated, flipping the meat for her as it started to sizzle. Angelique grinned innocently. She reached for the ginger, adding a tad in before mixing it all. If anything good were to come out of this other than getting away from home, it was all of the black mail she would have on the great Kaiba Seto.

He tried to ignore the smells that began to fill the house. But, it was the smell of sugar cookies baking that really got him. He growled back at his stomach before standing, closing his laptop lid as it shut down.

Venturing down the back stairwell, Kaiba listened to the giggles. Leaning against the doorframe, he watched the two as they placed the cooled cookies onto a plate. The kitchen seemed perfectly clean except for the small pile of dishes in the sink. He jumped at the sound of a timer going off.

"Oh, iie! The pasta!" Angelique gasped, running to get it. A moment later, she pulled a glass-baking pan from the oven, placing it the cooling rack in the center of the island counter.

"So, this is what all your noise was about…" He muttered. The two jumped, caught off guard. Mokuba, recovering a little faster, ran to his brother.

"Nii-chan, we made dinner!" He stated, pulling on his brother's hand, guiding him to the table. "And she made your favorite cookies! Did you know Karenza-san likes sugar cookies too?"

Kaiba smiled, nodding to Angelique. "Arigato."

She smiled, nodding back. "Goshinpainaku, Kaiba-kun." Glancing at her watch as it beeped the hour, she sighed. "I best be going home…"

"Awwww!" Mokuba pouted.

"Why not join us?" Kaiba asked, stepping towards her a little. She shook her head, looking away from his grasping eyes.

"I wish I could… But, I have to take care of some things…" Bowing, she turned from the room, racing to grab her books. Before Kaiba could so much as follow her, he heard the front door close. Narrowing his eyes, he growled. Something was wrong and he knew it.

Once again, another manga reference.

My mom used to make this all the time. And yes, that is what she calls it.

Sorry that this chapter is so short and fast paced. But, I was a little stumped

on what to do for a good ending.…


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

She sighed, flipping through her notes from class as she studied. It had been a few days since her last study session with Kaiba, however that didn't mean she could get lazy and not study at all. But, there was something about his excuse for canceling said sessions that unnerved her…

"I have better things to do."

In a way, it was truth, she knew. But… It was as if he had a deeper reason behind it. He was holding something back, she could hear it in his voice. Sighing again, Angelique looked at the ceiling, her mind dropping back away from the notes in front of her. Of course, being Kaiba, he would never tell her what was truly wrong. He didn't trust her, let alone anyone else for that matter, to let her past his hard outer shell.

' I know he's hurting behind that mask… I had hoped he found me trustworthy enough to at least tell me a full truth instead of a half… ' She thought absently to herself. ' He has known me for awhile, after all… '

A voice from the back of her mind snickered, laughing almost cruelly. ' There you go, Angelique. Pipe dreaming again. '

She sighed at the faint light that came from her nightstand, a shadowed figure of herself appearing above her. "Not now, Tenshi… I'm not in the mood…" She muttered, turning away from the dark spirit of the Millennium Tiara.

' Why do you torment yourself over that boy when all he does is ignore you at every corner? I mean, it's not like he has a heart or anything. ' The purple haired yami snickered.

"You're wrong!" Angelique bolted from her bed, glaring at her darker self. "Seto-chan has a heart, he's just afraid to show it to everyone else, afraid that what ever hurt him before will do so again!"

Tenshi fell from her hovering post above the girl's bed, falling from it and rolling onto the floor, laughing her head off cruelly. ' Now that's crazy, Angelique! Kaiba never has and never will have a heart! He only cares for himself! '

"That's not true! If it were, would Mokuba be with him? Huh? If he didn't have a heart, he would have abandoned little Mokuba long ago!" She growled, her Scottish accent filling her voice hotly, her eyes glaring flames. As if on cue, the doorbell sounded.

Sighing, she jogged from the room and down the stairs, ignoring the grumblings of her yami. But, her soothing cover soon disappeared as Mokuba lunged through the door at her, sobbing something fierce. "He's gone, Angie! He's gone!"

"Whoa, calm down, honey…" She whispered, kneeling down to his level, wiping his face clean of tears. "Who's gone?"

"Seto-nii! He left and I don't know where he went to…" He sobbed softly.

Pulling him close, she hugged the child tight, running a soothing hand in his hair. "It'll be alright, honey… I've got you now." She whispered, squeezing him gently.

' He cares about Mokuba, huh? ' She glanced up at Tenshi, lowering her eyes a second later, away from the arm crossed yami's glare.

' Please, Tenshi… Not now… Not now… ' Closing her eyes, a tear fell down her cheek. ' Seto… How could you? '

She sighed, relieved to have finally calmed the small Kaiba child down. Easing him back into the overstuffed couch, she tucked the blanket draping over the back around him before leaving the room. Picking up the kitchen phone, she started to dial out a number she thought she would never use: The Turtle Game Shop.

"Moushimoushi?" The sound of an elderly man on the other end of the phone eased her racing heart a little.

She smiled slightly, sighing. Thank god some one was there. "Konnichiwa, Motou-sama. Is Yuugi-san home?"

"Watashi gomen, he left for Pegasus's tournament last night…. May I take a message for him, though?"

"Oh, just a school friend... Arigatoumaimasu." She sighed, hanging up. How could she have forgotten about Duelist Kingdom? Just the other day Mokuba was trying to convince his brother to go. It was then that a thought struck her. 'Maybe he went after all?' She thought, dialing a second number, punching in an extension as the automated answer service for KaibaCorp. chimed in her ear.

"KaibaCorperation, Roland speaking. May I help you?"

"Roland-san, it's Angelique. Have you heard from Kaiba-kun the last day or so?" If anyone knew, Roland would. He seemed to be Seto's political, financial, and all around business advisor as well as his chauffeur. He was bound to know something of the brunette's whereabouts.

"Hai... He was looking a little pale the other day, when I last saw him. He was finishing up some reports and I had suggested he go home. But, as usual, he would hear nothing of it." He continued. "I saw him leave in a hurry, ordering that his personal helicopter be prepped. Where he was going, he didn't say. I assumed that he was going to a meeting, since the board had mentioned wanting to speak with him."

"You don't think he left for Duelist Kingdom, do you?" She was a little worried now. Not only was it not like Seto to leave Mokuba with little or no notice, he wasn't one to ignore his health. He knew his limits, or so she had hoped.

"I doubt it. He was obsessing over the duel against Yuugi, true, but he had no interest in a rematch with him so soon. He was always saying that he was to busy to get wrapped up in the tournament."

She bit her lip nodding slowly. Once again, she remembered him saying so to Mokuba. Another idea then came to her. "Roland... Do you know where the copter was going?"

"Kaiba-san wouldn't tell anyone. He was quite clear he didn't want anyone to know what he was doing, but I fear for him. He didn't seem mentally stable..." His voice only reflected his words of concern for the CEO. But, she had to honestly wonder if it was because Kaiba signed his paycheck every week.

"I feel the same, Roland-san... Thank you, though. If you hear from him, let me know, onegai? Mokuba-san is here and both of us are a little worried..." Her eyes glanced towards the living room making sure that the child was still there.

His voice cleared, becoming all business as if relieved to know where the young Kaiba had run off. "You will be the first to know, Angie-san."

She nodded subconsciously, even though he could not see it through the phone. "Arigato, Roland-san. I'll bring Mokuba-san home soon." Hanging up the phone, she turned towards the stairs leading to her room. 'There's only one way to track him down now...' She thought, booting up her computer.

Hitting a few keys on the old machine, she brought up KaibaCorperation's main page, a small black and silver box appearing over a corner of it a moment later. Her fingers took off running over the keys, lines and lines of text and code filling the box. "If those morons won't look for him, I will…"

'What are you up to now, Angie?' She ignored the Yami as she sat upon the monitor, glancing down over the screen.

"Every helicopter has a tracking device that links it to some sort of radio tower or landing base. It's a standard precaution in case of errors to stop what could turn into a fatal accident." She retorted almost monotonously. "If Seto-san is the man I believe him to be, he didn't leave without the radio connections. He wouldn't take that chance." She muttered, several more screens flashing open on the screen, her indigo eyes roaming over each one before moving to the next.

Pushing herself away from the computer in front of her, she turned to a second at her side, one that was much newer in style and technicality. Typing on it a moment, she glanced back to the first and then to the second before smirking.

'You never let me down, do you Seto?' She thought with a grin before making a print out of the map in front of her on the second computer, closing out of everything on the first with a few simple keystrokes.

'You're not going after him, are you!' Tenshi exclaimed, chasing the girl down the hall as she scooped up the printouts. The sight of her hikari pulling on a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt and then throwing a few odd things into a small backpack answered her question.

"You could always just keep the house company while I'm gone you know." Angelique hissed as she headed back down the stairs to wake the sleeping Mokuba. She didn't want to keep him away from home too long. Roland had enough to worry his pretty little head about with the company's CEO missing.

'But what about him!'

Angelique froze. She knew who 'him' was and it wasn't referring to either of the Kaiba brothers. A broken, almost lost look covered her face a moment, but was soon replaced with one of determination. "My friends are more important… I'll deal with my brother when I get back."

'Seto may be in more trouble than he needs to be right now….' She thought before dropping her bag innocently in one of the armchairs near the couch, leaning over to wake the snoozing ebon haired.

She wasn't about to lead on to the child that she was going after his brother. Giving him that kind of knowledge would mean having to argue down his pleas to go with her or worry about him running off to do the same.

"Angie-san… Wha…?" He muttered, sleep clouding his mind.

"It's late, kiddo. Let's get you home." She stated, placing a cheery smile on, helping him to sit up before adjusting the bandana he wore about his neck.

'I hope you know what you're doing, girl.' Tenshi muttered, vanishing from her leaning post at the bottom of the stairs.

Closing her eyes a moment as she led Mokuba out the door, Angelique sighed. 'Just have a little faith in me… For Mokuba and Seto's sakes, have faith…'

1.) Yes, I decided to give my character the all Mary-Sueish "eighth item" and an evil side to call her own. The visual differences between the two are hair color, Tenshi's is a darker shade of purple, eye color, same concept as with the hair, and her hair also isn't nearly as wavy as Angelique's. Tenshi's name is also reflective of Angelique's name, they both mean/refer to angels.

2.) I was a little unsure on how to end this chapter right, but at least I've got the ball rolling some now! . R and R, onegai!


	5. Chapter 4

Guardian Angel

By: Jensea/Kisoto Star/Angelique Tsunawa

Disclaimer: Standards apply. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything related to the show. I only own Angelique and this fanfic. Nothing more.

Author's note: I'd like to thank my beloved Kris for all of his help and inspiration for this story! If it weren't for you, love, I am sure I would have never placed this story down into words!

All of the little 's throughout the chapters indicate a small author's note at the end of the chapter it is in.

Chapter 4

The days had passed rather quickly and she found herself in a wild goose chase, following the elder Kaiba all over Japan like a magnetized ping-pong ball. She was exhausted, but she knew that giving up now would be condemning Mokuba to lord knew what. She could have killed herself for practically delivering him right into Pegasus's grasp. The child had just been with her mere hours before his kidnapping and what did she do? Fed him right to the enemy! She could only hope that his brother would understand and forgive her. Even though it wasn't entirely her fault, she still felt responsible for it in some way. Sighing, she found herself kneeling outside of the Kaiba Estate, trying her damndest to slip passed the guards. Getting passed the ones at the front gate was easy, but now she would have to thank their employer for the obstacle once she reached him. That was if he was even inside the massive place.

Jumping over a back wall, she double-checked her surroundings before slowly slipping across the yard. Half way across the lush, green, neatly trimmed grass, the patter of feet against concrete perked at her ears gently, catching her attention. By the sounds of the mumbling voices that came with the feet, it sounded like a group of guards. Shit, they were headed her way!

Ducking behind some high shrubbery against a wall of the house, she gulped hard and glanced down, ignoring their conversation for the most part. Something silver caught her gaze and, upon closer inspection… An air vent? Perfect! It was more than big enough for her to wiggle into. Within seconds she found herself crawling through the dusty ventilation system of the Kaiba Mansion, following the sound of the guards in a room up ahead. Her sources told her that Seto had returned... Maybe they were following some orders from him? As she listened, she heard differently.

"Pegasus wants him done away with. He's of no use to us with Mokuba and the company key in our grasp." A rather gruff looking suit stated with his arms crossed over his chest. He was taller than the others, only intensifying the dominating command that he seemed to hold over the others. He must have been the one calling all the shots.

"But, how do they plan to get the little brat to turn the damned thing over? Master Pegasus has tried everything and he won't do it willingly." A second chimed. He was a little more timid than the first, but, nonetheless, he would be a handful if she were to run into them.

Clamping a hand over her mouth, she shook her head slowly. No... They were tracking him? As she heard the guards move again, she followed, moving silently above them. Soon enough, she came across what appeared to be a computer network. She kept her ears and eyes on alert, being mindful of her movements, not wanting to be heard.

"Perfect..." She murmured, moving slowly to pull her backpack from her back. Even though the bag was rather burdensome, she knew that all of its contents were more than necessary. She made quick work of attaching one of the Kaiba Corporation laptops she had swiped during a similar visit to the company's Domino Office a few days earlier. She had to be quick. If anyone caught herm tapping into the terminal, she would be captured in no time. Pulling up a blue print and surveillance system of the house as well as any computer connections other than her own, she found that a terminal was operating in one of the lower levels of the mansion. "That must be him..."

Packing up her gear as quickly as she had pulled it out, she shimmied through the vents, trying to remember the map best she could, the image slowly fading in her mind. The sounds of the guards rallying weren't too far behind her. Shit, they must have found the open terminal as well. She had to get to him first she just had to. She prayed that all of her unsure chances and unclear sources would lead to him, to her goal, and not to a dead end, Or even worse, a trap. So far, she'd been lucky. Now, if that luck wouldn't just up and decide to run out on her.

Turning and twisting through the vents, she finally came to what seemed to be a dead end. But, she could still hear the guards. That just wasn't possible. Moving her hand forward for another step, she stopped dead in her tracks as the sounds of a computerized lock crackling slowly open. But, that wasn't what had stopped her. It was his voice. Her fingers gripped around the vent that they had fallen onto. Looking down, she heard him again along with the vocals on the computer system.

"Get that lock open, now!" One of the guards, the one that had been running the show so far, demanded.

She tensed up, fighting with her vocal cords a moment. This wasn't a time to chicken out! Fighting with them a moment longer, her leg kicked around, slamming down hard onto the vent, one set of hinges falling down, letting the vent hang from the other set. Glancing down, she met his gaze. "Kaiba-sama! Up here!"

He jumped slightly, startled by the sound of the vent falling open. At the sound of her voice, he met her gaze. God was she ever a sight for sore eyes right then. "Angie! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Jump now, talk later!" She yelled. He nodded, hearing the sounds of pounding on the door behind him. He shut off the computer and jumped up, scrambling into the air vents. He made sure to purge the system completely, covering any and all of his steps. A small loss to pay, really. He could always replace the entire thing later on. Swinging his legs up into it a second later as she held tight onto his hand, she pulled on his coat and shirt, slowly pulling him up into the vent.

"I'm guessing I'm not going to like what you came here to tell me."

She shushed him by covering his mouth with her hand once she had pulled the vent back up, being sure to keep as silent as she could when the goons walked into the room, completely puzzled. "Where the hell..."

"I could have sworn he was here! And I know you all heard the same voices that I did." The second from the first conversation she had caught earlier on exclaimed, fearful that their prey's get away would leave them all in a world of trouble. She smirked as he was pathetically defending himself.

"That doesn't matter now, just find him!" The leader demanded, the group slowly turning from the room. "We're all cooked if Pegasus gets to him before we do."

Angelique sighed once she was sure the suits were gone, removing her hand from Kaiba's mouth and relaxing against the wall of the vent, taking a slow, deep breath of air. She was relieved to have gotten out from under their noses, but they weren't out of harm's way yet. Glancing at him, she noticed the relieved look on his face, making his features soft and gentle. "Sorry for almost dropping in on you like that..."

He shook his head, opening his eyes once he had regained composure. "Don't worry. At this point, my main concern is getting out of here. I'm actually impressed, few people have managed to get through the suits, let alone make their way into and throughout the house… Or did my brother help you?"

She bit her lip, trying to avoid the subject of Mokuba. She had hoped the subject hadn't come up so soon. "No... Pegasus still has him..." She couldn't look at him as she moved passed, moving as quickly as she could. She knew that he had been completely informed of his brother's whereabouts by now. After all, caring for the child was among one of his top priorities. "Com'on. I doubt it's a good idea to linger in here..."

Seto looked at her, nodding. There was something she wasn't telling him. But, he would wait before pressing the girl on the matter right away. "We'll get to the roof, but I need to make a stop off in my room. If they haven't stolen anything, I have something I need to get."

He surged forward, almost charging through the air ducts, moving towards his room. She followed him closely, trying to keep as close as she could, not wanting to loose him. He could feel her on his tail, making him want to know even more what information she had on Mokuba, if any. Her presence nagged at him, making him even more curious with each passing moment. "Angelique…. Have you heard from him?"

"Let's just get out of here and I'll tell you on the way to Duelist Kingdom." She muttered, glancing around his room before unhooking the vent they had stopped at and pulling it inward, pushed it off to the side. She made room for him to drop in, thanking heavens that this one was located nearer to the floor instead of on the ceiling like the one before had been. Had Kaiba not been the person he was, he probably wouldn't have made that jump even with the help of the high backed chair he used as a springboard of sorts.

He moved silently about the room, tossing, removing, and rearranging things inside of his reinforced briefcase, being sure to leave room for his deck if he managed to somehow get it back once he would reach Duelist Kingdom. He then shifted a statue on the left dresser and pushed a sidewall, opening to a staircase that led to the roof. He glanced over his shoulder at her, nodding for her to follow. "Let's go Angie."

She finished covering the vent that they had come through, making sure all of their tracks had been successfully covered before she moved towards him. Before following him up the staircase, she looked around the room, taking it in. It was plain, dull, and incredibly unlike Kaiba. He wasn't plain and definitely didn't fit the definition of dull. She actually found him very exciting to be around. Today's events only proved that. She fell into a daze a moment as her eyes came to rest upon a picture of the two Kaiba brothers that sat neatly on a nearby desk. They were younger, much younger than they were now. Was Seto smiling? Actually smiling in it? What happened to that carefree grin? She jumped from her daze as he beckoned for her to follow, the door closing back into place as she ran up the secret passageway, concealing them.

He ran up to the roof once he was sure she had followed. "Alright Angie, we need to move fast, I assume they don't know about us yet, but they will eventually. When they do, they'll either try to destroy or disable the helicopters, so we'll pick one and we move." He was all business. Once they were off and away from immanent danger, he would try to get more details. At this point, he had to keep everything ordered and set. But, once he knew all he could and when he was prepared... Oohh how Pegasus would suffer.

She nodded, following him quickly. "But what about the one that you keep hidden in the attic?" She asked, smirking at him questioningly. Yes, she had done more than just a little extra credit homework on this self-assigned mission.

He shook his head. "That one if all else fails, but it's designed as an emergency launch. If it is used, it generates a lot of noise and damage. They would be on top of us like dogs on a steak." He gave her a slight smile then. "I have to admit, if you've done and learned all this on your own, I'm quite impressed."

Angelique gave him another small smile, tucking some loose strands of lavender hair behind her ear. "When a friend needs help, I'm right there." She whispered before pulling out a map from her back pocket. Unfolding and glancing at it, she smirked. "Now, back to the problem at hand... The one that you landed with from the cabin is a little too far off. We'd never make it there in time... But, this one here... It's just a few streets away. It's not a corporation approved get away vehicle, but I'm sure that using one of your personal crafts won't be a problem, will it?"

He gave her a mock questioning look, slightly amused. This was one study-buddy that had turned out to be a little more than useful. "Well, I'd need permission from the owner, but I think it just might work."

She giggled, tucking the map away. Did the almighty Kaiba just crack a joke? Smiling, she knew that she could get used to this over the stoic mask he always wore. "Com'on!" Before he could protest, she charged for the end of the roof, diving off the edge. It was what, a four, maybe five story drop?

Tenshi cursed her, pushing energy into her hikari's veins. She went soaring down towards the ground almost as if she had wings gliding her on the wind. Sending herself into a tumbling roll once she reached the lawn, she ignored the scolds from Tenshi. She smirked, standing up slowly once she had stopped, turning and smirking up at him.

"Hurry!" She was a sitting duck if he didn't follow.

He leapt down once he was sure she appeared safe. Skidding on the roof, he tumbled to a stop next to her, landing in a crouch then sprinting ahead. They were definitely pressed for time. Grabbing a tight hold of his briefcase, he called to her again, not looking over his shoulder as he bolted across the lawn and over the wall. "Let's go!"

She nodded, thanking Tenshi silently for help with that landing as she raced after him, keeping up fairly well. She made a sharp turn, keeping right on his heals the entire way. After a few twists and turns from street to ally and ally to street, they raced into the back of a rather discreet looking building. They had no trouble getting into it, let alone getting up onto the roof. Pegasus' goons obviously were a few steps behind them.

He ran for the helipad, Angelique still right behind him. He moved for the helicopter, gesturing for her to get in the pilot's seat. "You fly, let's go!"

She blinked at him. "Me!" She shrieked. Great. It seemed as if she wasn't even going to get a crash course in it either. Sighing, she closed her eyes, calling out softly, 'Tenshi... Some help here!'

'No problem, hon.' The shadow inside of the tiara smirked, taking over the girl's every movement, literally becoming her as she recomposed the girl's tense body, making quick work of the panel in front of her. Securing the headset over her ears, she flipped on the engine, glancing over the controls and gages with a keen eye. In mere seconds, they were lifting slowly from the pad.

After they were in the air, Kaiba relaxed somewhat, looking at the mansion as it became steadily smaller below them. He failed to notice how Angelique's eyes darkened and became more demonic, her hair loosing much of its vibrant curl and silver luster as it straightened and darkened along with her eyes for the briefest of moments. "You will pay Pegasus, I'll make sure of it."

He paused. Now that they were far from harm's way for the time being, he took the chance to ask again, "Angie, what happened to Mokuba? I need to know how bad the situation is."

Once Tenshi was sure Angelique had the basics, she retreated into the tiara once more, keeping a close eye on the girl, monitoring her almost too closely it seemed. She shook her head, trying to push the spirit completely from her mind, thankful that her item had remained hidden under the weird cloaking methods that Tenshi implied on it. She sighed, daring to glance over into his eyes a moment. "Well... A few hours before Pegasus took him as a so-called guest of sorts, he ran to me... He was scared, for your sake..."

He nodded. "I had spoken to him before I left. He wanted me to stay, but I had to finish the duel disk. I also needed some time for reflection. What's this about?"

She looked at him. "What do you mean? Mokuba came to me, feeling helpless because you had run off. He wanted to help you and he felt like he was butting against a wall! What was I to do? I thought he'd be safe with all of the servants and what not at the mansion... When he told me that you had "gone missing", I started looking for you... Then, when I found out that Pegasus had taken him..." She trailed off, turning her gaze back to the sky ahead, chewing the inside of her lip again.

He put his hand on her shoulder. "Why would Mokuba be worried? I had told him about this over a week ago." Now his mind started working again, trying his damnedest to push the way worry aside. "Angie, when did you last see Mokuba?"

"About twelve hours before Pegasus "invited" him to the island..." She couldn't look at him, not when she was this close to breaking. "Kaiba-sama, I'm sorry... He was right there... I practically fed him to the dogs... Had I only known..." She clenched her eyes tight a moment before watching the clouds again, glancing at the consol. As the silence between them grew, she could tell only one thing for sure: this was doomed to be a long, uneventful trip.


End file.
